Realization
by DealingDearie
Summary: Bones doesn't think Spock feels emotion and is taken by surprise when he sees something that changes his mind.


Bones had faith in one thing and one thing only: science. He believed in the miracle of medicine and the reason of research. He believed in the idea of humanity as a vast, historic thing, believed that the world was filled with billions of people that could all be connected.

He believed in the human race, since it was really only an extension of science itself-he considered it _applied_ science. The environment, the connection, the back-and-forth chatter that spurred a need for socializing, which was just another way to survive, which was, again, based on years and years of research of the world and all its occupants.

He also believed in emotion, in the complicated mechanism behind it, and found it completely baffling that the most science-based person he knew, the man of logic and reason, couldn't handle the emotions he experienced.

Vulcans felt too much, or so everyone thought, and suppressed it to handle their lives with a solid, steady perspective, one unshaken by the persuasion of emotion.

Bones didn't believe in the idea.

He'd seen Spock interact with others plenty of times, had seen the Vulcan at his worst and (maybe) his best, and he knew that the man was completely unfeeling.

And so, it was a mystery how such an emotionless person could be with such an animated woman like Nyota, how such a robot could be romantically involved with someone from a whole different world (in many aspects).

So, when Kirk sent them orders for a relatively safe mission to retrieve a lost member from one of the other ships, he was loath to discover that his comrades would be Spock and Uhura. Bones liked the lieutenant well enough, even enjoyed her company from time to time, but Spock was the problem.

How anyone could be so impassive really did bug the doctor to no end, especially when he'd somehow found a way to lack emotion even in his own relationship. Bones would have thought that it would be silly to Spock to have a significant other, but he must have found some kind of logic in the idea.

It was the only way.

Bones watched him closely on their mission, tracing his interactions with Uhura as they traversed the dangerously cold weather, trekking across the icy ground of some planet Bones had never heard of to track down the wandering, and missing, person. There were no reported hostiles, and for that he was grateful.

The last thing he needed was a near-death experience, after so many already. Nyota was bundled up in a giant coat, and it made her slender frame look entirely bulky as she tightened the hood, lined with fur, about her head, shivering as she braved the ice beneath them beside Spock, who was equally smothered in his own coat.

Bones stood apart from them, feeling awkward with his position as third wheel, but ignored the thought as a cold, strong gust of wind came to knock them over. Bones managed to stay on his feet, but Nyota was promptly shoved off balance, and she gripped at Spock's sleeve to steady herself, but to no avail.

She fell down heavily across the frozen ground, making a protesting sound of pain as she landed harshly on her back, and Spock all but fell after her, tugged down by her steely grip and kneeling at her side, his dark eyes suddenly wide and unblinking as he helped her sit up, one gloved hand resting absently against the back of her own.

"Nyota, are you alright?" Spock's voice was breathy from the cold, his cheeks wind-reddened, and Bones heard the sudden concern laced therein. Uhura nodded slowly, smiling kindly up at her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I just landed wrong." Spock helped her to her feet, one arm wrapped securely around her waist as she gained her footing, and she laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling warmly.

Bones stared at the two, surprised as Spock's mouth twitched, as if he was smiling, as if the smallest grin in the world had just flashed across his face.

His eyes were kind as he gaze down at her, and the doctor, for once, thought that Spock perhaps wasn't as emotionless as he seemed.

**Based off a prompt given my majestrixstormbringer over on Tumblr.**

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